Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to implement simplified Out of Court Disposals following the 2014 pilot on Adult Out of Court Disposals; and if he will make a statement.

Out of Court Disposals (OOCDs) allow police to deal quickly and proportionately with low-level offending without recourse to the courts.

We are committed to ensuring the most vulnerable offenders can access community-based support, and recognise the benefits of early intervention. So, where an OOCD is appropriate, we encourage the use of disposals which have a condition attached (be that rehabilitative, reparative, punitive or restrictive), which can achieve rapid compensation for victims and/or divert offenders into rehabilitative services to address the root causes of their offending behaviour.

We are working in partnership with the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) whose Charging and Out of Court Disposals strategy supports forces moving to the simplified two-tier framework when it is operationally and financially viable.